Ic On The Record Database

Our IC on the Record Database allows researchers, academics, policy advocates and everyday citizens to search through our authoritative and factual library of policies on various areas of interest such as lawful foreign surveillance activities, civil liberties, and legal archives.

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Our policy documents are placed through a rigorous process for release including extensive vetting for security and accuracy concerns. Additional work is then conducted to convert and index documents into searchable data. As new policy documents are released they will be queued for addition to our policy database. Please check back for updates and an ever-growing library of available datasets.

Consistent with the Principles of Intelligence Transparency, the ODNI has released volumes of information to enhance public understanding of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This includes hundreds of documents relating to how Section 702 is implemented and overseen.

After the 1978 passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) it became apparent that the law left significant gaps in intelligence collection authority. While the Government had the power in a criminal investigation to compel the production of records with a grand jury subpoena, it lacked similar authority in a foreign intelligence investigation.

All intelligence professionals take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. The most recent National Intelligence Strategy of the United States says unequivocally that, “The Intelligence Community must exemplify America’s values: operating under the rule of law, consistent with Americans’ expectations for protection of privacy and civil liberties, respectful of human rights, and in a manner that retains the trust of the American people.”

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) defines the process for requesting judicial authorization for electronic surveillance of persons engaged in espionage or international terrorism against the United States on behalf of a foreign power.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) is a U.S. federal court established and authorized by the U.S. Congress under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The court oversees requests made by federal law enforcement agencies for surveillance warrants against suspected foreign intelligence agents inside the United States.